Motor-vehicle.



Patented Apr. 8, 1913.

' lwirlron mark; I zy zer WITNESS/58 ATTORNEYS :OLUMBIA PLANDGRAPHCOqWASHINQTON, I16.

CHARLES HUGO KUYPER, OF CI NCINNATI, OHIO.

MOTOR-VEHICLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 8, 1913;

Application filed February 5, 1912. Serial No. 675,418.

minimum cost with the use of a minimum number of parts, including theuse of only a pair of supporting traction wheels.

Another object of theinvention is the construction and arrangement of aframe or chassis designed to support a comparatively large seat and mostof the various operating parts of the vehicle, on the order of anordinary automobile frame or chassis, but utilizing only a single frontand a single rear supporting wheel.

In carrying out the objects of the invention a pair of supporting wheelsof any desired kind is connected to a body or frame built on the orderof an ordinary automobile body or frame, so as to give a comparativelylarge platform or support fora person and for accommodating an ordinaryseat instead of a seat such as used on bicycles, motor-cycles, and thelike. The frame is designed to carry the motor which is connected upwith the rear wheel in any desired manner for rotating the same, andwhich is controlled by suitable steering members arranged adjacent theseat. The front wheel is mounted on a shaft movable in supportingbrackets and by the steering members associated therewith, whereby thedevice may be guided and caused to move from place to lace as may bedesired.

A practical embodiment of the invention is rep-resented in theaccompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in whichsimilar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both theviews.

Figure 1 is a side view of an embodiment of the invention; and Fig. 2 isa bottom plan view of the structure shown in Fig. 1.

Referring to the accompanying drawings by numerals, 1 indicates the rearwheel and 2 the front wheel. The rear wheel is mounted upon an axle 3and is driven by a chain 4 which is connected with an engine of anydesired kind, mounted preferably in a hood 5 which is supported on aframe 6. The

:frame 6 carries springs 7 and 8 which are connected with suitablebearings or journal stantially the ordinary structure of automobileseats. A bottom 10 is provided for the frame 6 so that when the devicehas once been started it will act very similar to an ordinaryfour-wheeled automobile. Mounted at the front of the frame 6 is a pairof brackets 11. and 12 having arc-shaped flanges 13 and 14. The flanges13 and 14: are struck upon the arc,,pf a circle with the center on thecenter of the wheel 2. Each of these flanges 13 and 121 is formed with aslot 15 for accommodating an axle 16. The axle 16 is held in place byoutside shoes 17 and 18, and inside shoes 19 and 20 removably clamped tothe axle 16 in any desired manner.

Rigidly connected with or loosely mounted on the axle 16 is a framework21 which is formed with a rack 22 meshing with a pinion 23 connectedwith the steering shaft 24. The steering shaft 24. has an ordinarysteering wheel 25 connected therewith so as to properly shift theposition of the axle 16 and the wheel 2. In order to prevent theframework 21 from moving vertically, a suitable brace 26 is provided,formed with a slot 21' through which the framework 21 extends. The wheel2 may be secured cen-. tr'ally of the aXle 16 in any desired manner soas to freely rotate thereon, as for instance by collars 27 and 28. Thesecollars may be held in place by any desired means, as for instance, setscrews, so that when it is desired to remove the wheel 2 the nuts on theends of axle 16 may be removed and the collars 27 and 28 loosened sothat the axle may be moved longitudinally out of the machine, the slots15 being sufliciently large for permitting this operation.

In operation the machine or engine may be started in any desired mannerand then thrown into clutch with the chain 4 or the chain 4: may becontinuously in clutch with the engine and the vehicle pushed manuallyalong until the engine begins to explode.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent 1. In a vehicle of the class described, a Y

framework, a driving-wheel journaled on said framework, a steering wheelarranged near the front of said framework, an axle for supporting saidsteering wheel, said axle extending at right angles to the plane of saidwheel, a pair of arc-shaped retaining plates for supporting the ends ofsaid axle, said retaining plates being on opposite sides of said wheeland struck on the arc of a circle with its center coincident with thecenter of said wheel, each of said plates being formed with a slot forallowing a free swinging movement of said wheel and the axle carriedthereby, a steering framework connected with said axle, and operatingmeans for shifting the position of said steering framework.

2. In avehicle of the class described, a framework, 'front and rearsupporting wheels, a swinging axle for said front supporting wheel, saidaxle extending in a genfor holding said front supporting wheel in apredetermined position on said axle, a steering frame rigidly secured tosaid axle for swinging said axle back and forth, and steering mechanismfor operating said steering frame.

3. In a vehicle of the class described, a framework, front and rearsupporting wheels, a swinging axle for said front sup- :porting wheel, apair of guiding plates for the axle formed arc-shaped and with slots?for accommodating the axle, a pair of shoes {connected with said axleon each side of :said guiding plate for permitting the axle ito swingfreely around a point intermediate the ends thereof and preventlongitudinal Emovement of the axle, an axle shifting jframeworkconnected therewith, and steerjing mechanism connected with the axleshift- Zing framework.

In testimony whereof I have signed my iname to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

" CHAS. HUGO KUYPER.

GEO. D. SCHATZMAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents leach, byaddressing the Commissioner of fPatents, Washington, D. C.

